I am 2 ½ weeks away from Summer Vacation, and we don't have summer school this year. Ooof! Nine weeks of keeping my little darling entertained 14 hours a day! I have been pinning away on my Summer Vacation - EEK! Board on Pinterest. Hopefully I will find a few things to keep him occupied at least for 20 minutes or so.
Since other bloggers are helping me I thought I'd throw out a few ideas that will hopefully help someone else while away a few hours. Both are extremely simple to make.
Crazy Hopscotch Fabric Squares
I bought a few yards of this pretty green knit fabric to make something for my babies room. After sewing about 12 inches I remembered I loath sewing with knit. I just don't have the sewing skills. So I gave up, stuffed it in a box in the closet of doom and forgot about it. One rainy day my toddler and I watched Curious George's Lucky Cap in which Steve makes a long twisty hopscotch course for George to follow. Since I couldn't do it outside I had a stroke of genius, grabbed the fabric, cut it into 20 squares approximately 1 foot each (honestly I eyeballed it), dug a permanent marker out of the drawer and wrote on numbers.
Cut out big pictures from a magazine or print something of the Net or have your kid draw a picture. Glue on to some cardboard (I let J help with that part). Cut the cardboard so there is about a ½ inch border - or go all the way to the edge and your holes can go on the picture, your choice. Punch holes around the edge - grown up job! Tie a knot or two in one end of a shoelace and have the child thread it through the holes in the card.
The two skills this works on are fine motor skills and following directions. My little guy used to lace it from one side to the next then top to bottom and all over the place instead of just going to the next hole. I guess technically there isn't a "right way" to do it, and I was really emphasizing the fine motor when I made them. I admit it doesn't hold his interest long, but it is a good non electronic activity on the go (got any long summer road trips planned?).
And they also make nifty little pretend kites for little guys that are too small to handle a real kite. Or maybe that's just my little guy.
If you have any resources for summer activities for preschoolers/early elementary I am going to need a ton! Please share in the comments below.
Mary~Momathon says
I am going to make the hopscotch squares this summer and try to make a tiny dent in my scrap pile. If I can find the time to sneak off to my sewing room alone.
Lynn Spencer says
I'm sure you are gearing up for more summer fun again! My son's last day of school is tomorrow and I am dreading finding things to keep him busy. He is now 16, so gone are the days when I could entertain him as I used to be able to. Thanks for sharing this oldie but goodie with us and hope to see you again this week.
Hugs, Lynn
Audrey Humaciu says
Unfortunately my son is too old for these activities now too. Thanks for stopping by.